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Grove City’s income-tax revenue has been increasing each year, and its residents have set parks
and recreation as priorities.

So the timing is right, city officials think, to study where a recreation/community center might
fit in and how much it might cost.

The city council introduced legislation on Tuesday to spend $40,000 for a feasibility study.

“It’s something that we’ve talked about for a while, and it was identified in the 2011 focus
groups for our master plan,” said Kim Conrad, parks director. “We’re looking to pull together a
team of people to look at the market needs down here. We wanted to make sure we’re not competing
with something we already have.”

The study length, contractor and other details have not been decided. The cost will not exceed
$40,000, Conrad said.

Dublin, Groveport, Westerville and Worthington have built modern recreation centers in the past
15 years.

And even though a center can cost more than $20 million — as much as the city’s annual budget —
resident Laura Lanese said she thinks one belongs in her city.

The city’s YMCA is beyond its capacity. And basketball leagues “have to go as far east as the
airport” for practices, Lanese said.

“The community has gotten more diverse,” the 12-year resident said. “It used to be agrarian —
spend only what you need to prepare for the bad and good times — but there’s a huge influx of
young, upwardly mobile families.”

Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage said: “We think it’s time to be a little bit more proactive and maybe
begin reviewing what may make some sense.”Stage said the idea for the study came up at a July
retreat.

The YMCA on the south end of town has been “overwhelmed” by memberships and business, Stage
said. “And our senior center is bursting at the seams.”

The city of 36,000 is the most-populous Columbus suburb in Franklin County.